Window Dishcloths - Pattern

The Story:

Our church is getting ready to go to Uganda this summer, and we knitters have gotten together to knit seventy dishcloths for women coming to a conference we are leading.  I wanted to knit a basic stockinette dishcloth with a garter stitch border, but the little voice inside my head kept saying "it's going to curl over!"  So, I decided to make my basic dishcloth, but I put a big ol' garter stitch cross through it to prevent the curling.  Unfortunately they still curl a little bit, but the garter stitch definitely helps.  It also keeps things interesting.

Supplies:

Needles:  US size 8 straight needles.  (I recommend the ten inch kind)

Yarn:  The yarn for these dishcloths was donated, so I didn't have much say.  The red one was made out of Caron Simply Soft, and the green one was made out of Redheart.  I would suggest using actually dishcloth yarn like Lily's Sugar 'n Cream.

Misc.:  Darning Needle, Scissors

Abbreviations:

CO: Cast On

K: Knit

P: Purl

BO: Bind Off

Directions:

CO 35 Stitches

K for three rows.

Repeat the following two rows for a total of nineteen rows, not counting the three garter stitch rows.  End on a Row 1

Row 1: K all

Row 2: K3, P13, K3, P13, K3

K three rows.

Repeat Rows 1 & 2 for nineteen more rows.

K three rows.

Bind off loosely.

Thoughts on Short Needles

My first pair of needles were fourteen inches long, US size 8, and plastic with green and orange swirls in the middle.  They were the cheapest and longest pair from Hobby Lobby on that day.  I saw the ten inch needles just a few rows over, but I figured the fourteen inchers would be far more useful, especially with larger projects.  Later on I inherited the needles from my great grandmother, and her collection contained needles of every size and length.  However, even for my smaller projects, I used my fourteen inch needles.

Just a few days ago I needed 7's for a dishcloth, but alas, one pair was still in a scarf I had started a month ago and the other was in my sister's dishcloth.  I was forced to use some ten inch 8's.

Wow, what a difference!  Short needles are so much more intimate and cozy.  I feel like I can knit on our sectional and not worry about hitting anyone in the face with the ends.  Lesson learned - don't fall into the frugal trap of buying fourteen inchers!  If you're working on a small project, splurge on a pair of ten inchers!  Needles only cost like three bucks a pair; it's an investment, and your family will thank you.